Category Archives: Statements

Invitation to support the Canadian Boat to Gaza, from Rabbi Lucia Pizarro

Dear friends,

As a Jew, I am all too aware that history has been painted with the blood of individuals whose only crime was being born Jewish. The stigma of living life as a minority has forever shaped Jewish history and the histories of many other peoples. Therefore, I am always taken aback when I see any group of people who face discrimination not for their actions, but simply for being alive.

I know that Jewish leadership has made sure that any assertion of commonality between Jew and Palestinian is denied. But throughout history, from Poland to Iraq, from Argentina to South Africa, from Brooklyn to Mississippi, Jews have taken up their quest for justice, and their desire for a more just world, by joining with others in collective struggles. Jews have participated prominently in the workers’ struggle of the Depression era, in the civil rights movement, in the struggle against South African Apartheid, in the struggle against fascism in Europe, and in many other movements for social and political change.

Obviously the State of Israel’s historic and ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people contradicts and betrays these long histories of Jewish participation in collective liberation struggles.

Thus, I invite you to join me in my support for the Canadian Boat to Gaza, and its insistence on ending the illegal and immoral blockade imposed by the Israeli State on over 2 million Palestinian civilians living in the Gaza Strip.

  • Let's challenge the legality of the inhumane blockade of Gaza’s 2 million inhabitants, most of whom are refugees and children.
  • Let's expose the Canadian government’s complicity in this act of collective punishment of defenceless civilians.
  • Let's demonstrate to the people living under the blockade that the world has not forgotten them.
  • Let's stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
  • Let's support the Canadian Boat to Gaza right now!

You can find different ways to donate at https://canadaboatgaza.org/d onate

In solidarity,
Rabbi Lucia Pizarro, Founding Spiritual Director

 

Those who can benefit from a charitable tax receipt in the US  may wish to donate through the US Boat to Gaza page: https://2018boatstogaza- nonviolenceinternational.natio nbuilder.com/contribute

In other parts of the world, please consider donating through one our other partner campaigns in the Freedom Flotilla:  https://sgf.freedom flotilla.org/donate

Please share our messages and forward them; Merci de partager et de faire suivre nos messages.

Donations / dons: canadaboatgaza.org/donate/ / sgf.freedomflotilla.org/donate

Canadian Boat to Gaza: www.canadaboatgaza.org email: canadaboatgaza@gmail.com
Bateau canadien pour GAZA: www.canadaboatgaza.org courriel: canadaboatgaza@gmail.com

 

Too many years of occupation and blockade: Freedom Flotilla statement

Israel attacks Palestinian fishers while pillaging gas under Palestinian waters off Gaza

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), between 1 January and 15 May 2017, the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) opened fire on Gaza fishers 133 times. On 15 May, the IOF Navy shot at two fishing boats about three nautical miles from the Gaza shore, northwest of Gaza City, killing a 25 year old fisherman, Mohammed Majed Bakr, whose wife is now a widow with two small children, aged one and three. In violation of International Law, Israel has declared that Gaza fishers can only fish in a zone close to the Gaza shore. When the massive attack on the population of Gaza ended in 2014, Israel promised to increase the size of zone where Palestinians could fish. Once the international media attention had faded, Israel went back on its word. Even within that area the IOF navy routinely terrorises Palestinian fishers, destroying or stealing fishing boats, destroying their nets and confiscating their catch.

These small Palestinian fishing boats are no threat to Israel’s security, but they could impede Israeli efforts to pillage Palestinian gas fields near traditional fishing areas that are approximately seven to ten nautical miles off shore. The Israeli destruction of the Palestinian fishery and theft of undersea resources is one of the many disastrous effects of the on-going Israeli occupation of Gaza, about which international media are largely silent.

The Israeli occupation of Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Golan Heights has lasted 50 years. The intensified Israeli blockade of Gaza has lasted for 10 years. These ‘anniversaries’ are an indictment on governments and international authorities that do not put any effective pressure on Israel to end the occupation and the oppression of the Palestinian people. When governments fail, people around the world must take action.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), composed of campaigns from around the world, will continually focus its work on actively challenging the illegal blockade and occupation of Gaza, and on demanding that governments worldwide take action. Palestinian civil society has repeatedly called upon the international community to take steps that will result in Israel’s isolation until it shows respect for international law and human rights. In response, the FFC supports various forms of non-violent struggle adopted by the Palestinian people against oppression and injustice.

Along with organizations representing Palestinian fishers in Gaza, we have started the ‘Solidarity with Gaza Fishers’ campaign. We call on you to join us in casting spotlights on Israeli terror against the fishers of Gaza, in order to pressure the Israeli government to end it and on our respective governments to cease supporting it.

OpenGaza2017Graphic

Statement from Members of European Parliament (5 October 2016)

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Reposted from https://wbg.freedomflotilla.org/news/statement-from-members-of-european-parliament

Statement from Members of European Parliament (5 October 2016)

“Today at 15:58 the Women’s Boat to Gaza, Zaytouna-Oliva, has lost communication, and we can presume that the Israeli Occupation Navy has surrounded it in International Waters (Lat +31.906033 Lon +33.757630). This is inside the self-proclaimed “military exclusion zone” imposed unilaterally and illegally by the Israeli government, in contravention of international law. We call on all governments, public officials and people of conscience to support publically the right of unimpeded passage for peaceful civilian navigation, and the physical integrity of the crew and participants on board, and to support full freedom of movement for all peoples, in particular the Palestinians of Gaza. We demand European authorities to take action now to assure information from the activists and to demand their immediate liberation.”

1. Marina Albiol (GUE/NGL)
2. Malin Björk (GUE/NGL)
3. Dimitrios Papadimoulis (GUE/NGL, Vice-President of the European Parliament)
4. Paloma López (GUE/NGL)
5. Izaskun Bilbao (ALDE)
6. Eleonora Forenza (GUE/NGL)
7. Pascal Durand (Greens/EFA)
8. Bart Staes (Greens/EFA)
9. Ana Maria Gomes (S&D)
10. Tania González (GUE/NGL)
11. Estefanía Torres (GUE/NGL)
12. Marie-Christine Vergiat (GUE/NGL)
13. Matt Carthy (GUE/NGL)
14. Josep-Maria Terricabras (Greens/EFA)
15. Marisa Matias (GUE/NGL)
16. Merja Kyllönen (GUE/NGL)
17. Ernest Urtasun (Greens/EFA)
18. Margrete Auken (Greens/EFA)
19. Lola Sánchez (GUE/NGL)
20. Martina Anderson (GUE/NGL)
21. Lynn Boylan (GUE/NGL)
22. Liadh Ní Riada (GUE/NGL)
23. Soraya Post (S&D)
24. Eva Joly (Greens/EFA)
25. Miapetra Kumpula-Natri (S&D)
26. Yannick Jadot (Greens/EFA)
27. Jill Evans (Greens/EFA)
28. Patrick Le Hyaric (GUE/NGL)
29. Rina Ronja Kari (GUE/NGL)
30. Javier Couso (GUE/NGL)
31. Marita Ulvskog (S&D)
32. Stelios Kouloglou (GUE/NGL)
33. Nessa Childers (S&D)
34. Julie Ward (S&D)
35. Iratxe García Pérez (S&D)
36. Joao Ferreira (GUE/NGL)
37. Joao Pimenta (GUE/NGL)
38. Miguel Viegas (GUE/NGL)
39. Neoklis Sylikiotis (GUE/NGL)
40. Ivo Vajgl (ALDE)
41. Lidia Senra (GUE/NGL)
42. Michèle Rivasi (Greens/EFA)
43. Karima Delli (Greens/EFA)
44. Josu Juaristi (GUE/NGL)
45. Sergio Cofferati (S&D)

Zaytouna-Oliva intercepted in International Waters and the 13 human rights activists on their way to Gaza kidnapped

This afternoon at 15:58 (CEST) on 5 October, the Israeli Occupation Navy surrounded the Zaytouna-Oliva in International Waters and kidnapped the 13 human rights activists on their way to Gaza. A list of all the women on board can be found here https://wbg.freedomflotilla.org/participants-on-board-messina-to-gaza

The IOF began to intercept the boat around the same time as the IOF were bombing Gaza earlier this afternoon, one of Israel's many breaches of the ceasefire this year. 

The Women’s Boat to Gaza is calling for their immediate release as well as the release of our boat, seized in an act of state piracy in international waters about 40 nautical miles from the Port of Gaza.

Continue reading Zaytouna-Oliva intercepted in International Waters and the 13 human rights activists on their way to Gaza kidnapped

Amal-Hope II will not sail to Gaza this year, while Zaytouna-Oliva continues

womenamal2016-09-30-1200x480For immediate release, Monday 3 October 2016
Palermo, Italy

The Amal-Hope II, which remained in Messina when the Zaytouna-Oliva left the port of Messina last Tuesday, will not be able to join the journey to break the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza.

According to Gerd von der Lippe, an athlete and professor from Norway who was supposed to participate on the Amal-Hope II: “We are all terribly disappointed that we won’t have an opportunity to meet our Palestinian sisters in Gaza in person this year. But now we must put all our energy towards ensuring that Zaytouna-Oliva is successful in breaking this illegal
blockade. We really need global citizens of goodwill to contact their governments urging them to demand safe passage for that boat.”

Following the breakdown of the first Amal-Hope in Barcelona, we were purchased and brought a replacement boat to Messina. It was ready to sail, and in fact sailed from Messina to Palermo over the weekend, but the delays meant that the crew we had lined up for the last part of the voyage were no longer available. Eva Manly, a retired documentary maker from Canada, who was also due to be on Amal-Hope II, agrees: “It was a Herculean task to get Amal-Hope II this far, but we just weren’t able to make it happen in time.”

In addition to Manly and von der Lippe, the women that were scheduled to be aboard the Amal-Hope II, included Zohar Chamberlain-Regev (Israel-Germany), Wendy Goldsmith (Canada), Ellen Huttu-Hansson (Sweden), Naomi Wallace (US), Cigdem Topcuoglu (Turkey), Orly Noy (Israel) Jaldía Abubakra (Spain), Sofia Kanavle (US), Siri Nylen (Sweden) and Maite Mompó (Spain).

The Zaytouna-Oliva continues to make good progress through the Mediterranean Sea and is on course to arrive in the port of Gaza later this week.

Contact person: Ellen Huttu Hansson, +46 722 883 213

E-mail: ellen.huttu.hansson@gmail.com

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Barcelona Hosts Women’s Boat to Gaza for inaugural journey / Barcelone accueille le Bateau des femmes pour Gaza

For immediate release (le texte en français suit*)

From September 12-14, the sailing vessels Amal-Hope and Zaytouna-Oliva will moor at Bosch i Alsina dock in the port of Barcelona where various events (concerts, talks, nonviolent workshops, a street parade and visits to the boats) will take place as farewell for the women leaving to break the blockade on Gaza.

Zaytouna and Amal at a port in Spaisn

According to Laura Arau, with Rumba a Gaza, Spain’s WBG partner, the launch point from Barcelona has special meaning for the community there.  “We have been a sister city with Gaza since 1998, yet we have been unable to visit with one another,” she says.  “We want our sisters in Gaza to know they are not forgotten and that with these boats and women, we are sending to them our message of hope, love and solidarity.” 

The boats will depart on September 14th to Ajaccio, France and then travel through another Western Mediterranean port before reaching the shores of Gaza in early October.  For the Barcelona-Ajaccio leg, the passenger lists include Malin Björk, a Member of European Parliament from Sweden; Zohar Chamberlain Regev, an Israeli who currently lives in Spain and Ann Wright, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and former U.S. diplomat who resigned in 2003 in opposition to the invasion of Iraq. 

The women participants, who differ for each leg of the journey, represent over 15 countries across six continents. However, as Chamberlain Regev, who chairs WBG’s steering committee, explains “While we come from very different cultural and professional backgrounds, we all share a common bond. We find the blockade of Gaza and the occupation of Palestine absolutely unacceptable. And as long as governments continue to ignore this political-humanitarian crisis, we, as global citizens of goodwill, have no choice but to continue our efforts to break this inhumane blockade."  

For a schedule of program activities Barcelona, see here.

Press Contact in Barcelona: Laura Arau, Spanish, Catalan  (+34) 636 00 36 01 /prensa@rumboagaza.org
Wendy Goldsmith (English) Spokesperson in Barcelona until departure (Sept. 14): (+34) 691-179-722. 
David Heap (français; español; English) (+1) 519-859-3579 or (+34) 602 649 690 (until Sept. 15) 
Or see campaign media spokespeople here: https://wbg.freedomflotilla.org/media-room

* The Women’s Boat to Gaza is an initiative of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition composed of civil society organizations and campaigns from more than a dozen countries. For more information, visit www.womensboattogaza.org.

*Pour publication immédiate.

Entre le 12 et le 14 septembre prochains, les Bateaux des femmes pour Gaza, le Amal-Hope et le Zaytouna-Oliva, seront amarrés  à Bosch i Alsina,  dans le port de Barcelone. Plusieurs événements y auront lieu (concerts, conférences-échanges, ateliers sur la non violence, parade dans les rues et visites des bateaux) en signe d’au revoir aux femmes qui prendront la mer dans le but de briser le blocus de Gaza.

Selon Laura Arau, du groupe musical Rumba a Gaza, partenaire du Bateau des femmes pour Gaza en Espagne, faire partir les bateaux de Barcelone revêt une signification très spéciale pour cette communauté. Nous avons été une ville sœur avec Gaza depuis 1998  et pourtant nous n’avons jamais pu nous visiter mutuellement a-t-elle affirmé. Nous voulons que nos sœurs de Gaza sachent que nous ne les oublions pas et qu’avec ces bateaux et les femmes qui  y participent, nous leur envoyons notre message d’espoir, d’amour et de solidarité.

Les bateaux partiront le 14 septembre d’Ajaccio en Corse (France) pour se rendre dans un autre port de la côte ouest de la Méditerranée avant de rejoindre les rives de Gaza au début d’octobre. Pour l’étape Barcelone-Ajaccio la liste des passagères comprend Malin Björk, députée suédoise au Parlement européen; Zohar Chamberlain Regev, une israélienne vivant en Espagne et Ann Wright, une colonelle retraitée  de l’armée américaine et ancienne diplomate qui a démissionné de son poste en 2003  pour protester contre l’invasion de l’Irak par les États-Unis.

Les femmes montant à bord des bateaux, et dont le nombre varie selon les étapes, représentent plus de 15 pays venant de six continents. Par ailleurs comme l’explique Chamberlain Regev, qui préside le comité de coordination du Bateau des femmes pour Gaza : Même si nous venons d’horizons culturels et professionnels très différents, nous partageons toutes un même engagement. Nous pensons que le blocus de Gaza et l’occupation de la Palestine sont absolument inacceptables. Et tant et aussi longtemps que les gouvernements continueront d’ignorer cette crise politico-humanitaire, nous, en tant que citoyennes du monde et femmes de bonne volonté n’avons d’autre choix que de poursuivre inlassablement nos efforts  pour briser ce blocus inhumain. 

Pour la programmation des activités prévues à Barcelone : voir ici.

Personne-contact auprès des medias: Laura Arau (espagnol, catalan) +34 636 00 36 01 / prensa@rumboagaza.org 

Wendy Goldsmith (anglais) porte-parole à Barcelone jusqu'au départ (14 september ): (+34) 691-179-722. 
David Heap (français; español; English) (+1) 519-859-3579 or (+34) 602 649 690 (jusqu'au 15 septembre) 

Ou contacter les porte-paroles de la campagne ici: https://wbg.freedomflotilla.org/media-room

Le Bateau des femmes pour Gaza est une initiative de la Coalition des Flottilles de la Liberté, constituée d’organisations de la société civile et de campagnes qui se déploient dans plus d’une douzaine de pays.

 

 

 

Statements of Support for the Women’s Boat to Gaza

Dimitri Lascaris is a lawyer and Justice Critic of the Green Party of Canada. He speaks here in a personal capacity and not as a representative of any political party. 
Dimitri also presented a resolution which was adopted by the Green party of Canada convention on August 7, 2016: Palestinian Self-Determination and the Movement for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions 
Following the adoption of this resolution, Independent Jewish Voices Canada issued this statement: IJV Congratulates The Green Party Of Canada On The Passage Of Its Historic Palestinian Rights Resolutions

 

Libby Davies is a retired Canadian MP. In 2009, in the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead, she travelled to Palestine, co-authoring a report on both Gaza and the West Bank.

Women’s Boat to Gaza buys 1st boat & sets departure

Amal-Hope to sail from Barcelona on September 14
for immediate release                                          donate now

The Women's Boat to Gaza, a project of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, has acquired its first vessel. Amal-Hope will set sail from Barcelona on September 14, carrying women who plan to challenge the illegal blockade of Gaza.

picture of US boat to Gaza, 2011, Greece

In Barcelona, members of the community who support our mission will welcome the Amal-Hope. In 1998, Barcelona was 'twinned' with Gaza, with the goal of fostering international support. In 2005, the Barcelona Peace Park was inaugurated in Gaza but destroyed by the Israeli military in 2009. The park was rebuilt in 2010. As her name suggests, Amal-Hope will send a message of hope that the Peace Park and the whole of Gaza must never be bombed again.

Schedule of Events in Barcelona:
Monday 12 September – Music and festival at the port
Tuesday 13 September – Non-violent resistance workshops, local speakers and a tour of the boats
Wednesday 14 September – Local ceremony and departure

The Women's Boat to Gaza, with prominent women on board including Mairead Macguire, Naomi Wallace, Marama Davidson and Gerd von der Lippe, will visit ports in the Western Mediterranean before reaching the shores of Gaza on 1 October. 

Women’s Boat to Gaza initiative:
The Women’s Boat to Gaza is a Freedom Flotilla Coalition initiative. By launching a women’s flotilla, women from all over the world aim to highlight the undeniable contributions and indomitable spirit of Palestinian women who have been central within the Palestinian struggle in Gaza, the West Bank, inside the Green Line and in the diaspora.

Gaza has been under Israeli blockade for the past decade, during which time Israel has also launched countless attacks against the besieged population, turning their life into a nightmare and a continuous struggle. Through Freedom Flotillas and other maritime missions, we have brought international attention to their suffering and their resistance.

The Women’s Boat to Gaza seeks not only to challenge the Israeli blockade, but to also show solidarity and bring a message of hope to the Palestinian people. With the support of women, men, non-governmental organizations, civil society groups and from women’s collectives and events around the world, we will make this happen.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is composed of civil society organizations and initiatives from many countries. We have been challenging the illegal and inhumane Israeli blockade of Gaza for years and are committed to continue the struggle until the blockade is unconditionally lifted and the Palestinian people everywhere regain their full rights.


You can support the Women's Boat to Gaza by donating online:  
https://canadaboatgaza.org/donate/

Those who can benefit from a U.S. tax receipt can contribute online at
https://womensboatgaza-nonviolenceinternational.nationbuilder.com/contribute

To find and support other campaigns that are part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, please see: https://wbg.freedomflotilla.org/donations

Other ways to get involved:
Follow us at www.canadaboatgaza.org and www.womensboattogaza.org
www.facebook.com/FreedomFlotillaCoalition/ and www.facebook.com/CanadaBoatGaza/
Twitter @GazaFFlotilla  @CanadaBoatGaza

Thank you for your support. Together we can end the blockade of Gaza!

In Solidarity 
the Canadian Boat to Gaza team

   

Invitation to Journalists: Sail aboard the Women’s Boat to Gaza


Photo by: Joran Fagerlund

Dear journalists:

The women's Boat to Gaza (WBG) is a Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) initiative that will sail this September to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza.  For more info about WBG please visit:
https://wbg.freedomflotilla.org/faq and see our latest press statement (https://wbg.freedomflotilla.org/news/womens-boat-to-gaza-presented-at-the-european-parliament), released after our meeting with and receiving support from many Members of European Parliament in Brussels last month.

The Women's Boat to Gaza is an all-women mission where the boats will have only women on board: the crew, activists and prominent people sailing in support of the Palestinians of Gaza, as well as the journalists covering the voyage.

On board there will be a Nobel Laureate, Members of Parliament from different countries, Members of European Parliament, other eminent women and activists from over a dozen countries. This is an opportunity to share the stories and wisdom of Palestinian women in Gaza and the women of the world who support them. We aim not only to break the physical barriers of the blockade, but also to break the media silence and help the voices of Palestinian women in Gaza be heard.  

We are inviting interested women journalists (visual, audio, written) from various media organizations worldwide to join the mission. If you are interested please send your CV to delegates.wbg@gmail.com, specifying what support you can count on from your media organization, if any. If you have any questions or would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact us at the same address.

Please note that space is limited so you are urged to contact us without delay if you are interested.  Deadline to receive applications is July 30, 2016.

WBG Steering Committee